“A mythical American form of expression”: The two artists Paul Simon compared Bruce Springsteen to
Is it a compliment to have your work constantly compared to someone else, or is it an infuriating thing that stunts your growth as an artist who is constantly endeavouring to be seen as individualistic and unique? While you may have been inspired by countless acts from the past, or even your contemporaries, it’s always more of a boon when people struggle to compare you to anyone else, because it gets people talking about you. However, some of the most culturally significant artists of all time, such as Bruce Springsteen, receive comparisons to other artists all the time, yet remain at the forefront of people’s minds.
It’s also true that artists like Springsteen don’t come around all that often, and when they do, they’re always going to have people attempting to make comparisons purely as a result of their notoriety. If people are regularly getting exposed to their music, then they’re going to draw throughlines between their output and something else they’ve heard in order to make a link in their mind. In terms of Springsteen and his originality, this doesn’t diminish anything that he’s done; it’s just a case of how well known he is in the first place.
Sure, he’s got his roots in American folk music and rock and roll, and has a lyrical style that speaks specifically about socio-cultural phenomena relative to his own experiences in ways that are easily relatable and digestible. Others have used this formula for their own work in the past, so it’s understandable that Springsteen will receive these sorts of comparisons, but at the same time, he adds his own unique voice to his output that should also set him apart significantly.
However, his ability to pull elements from other acclaimed songwriters and utilise them to his own benefit is something that has earned him praise, not just from regular music listeners, but some of his peers as well. Springsteen is not only hugely popular in a commercial sense, but he’s earned a reputation for being a songwriter’s songwriter, and has the sort of chops that other legends are likely to fawn over.
Among his most notable fans is none other than Paul Simon, who himself can be considered one of the most illustrious songwriters of the last 60 years. He’s spoken on several occasions about how he believes Springsteen is up there on the same level of importance as the greats, and claimed in a 1984 interview with Playboy that he’s a direct descendant of two other classic songwriters, melding together the best elements of their work to create his own masterpieces.
“When I first heard Bruce, I thought, well, he’s like Dylan and Van Morrison,” he told the publication. However, he then went on to acknowledge how, following his early successes, he managed to transform his artistry into something far more unique while not losing elements of his influences. “Somehow, he’s grown. Somehow, he’s made those South Jersey highways, the cars, into an archetypal, almost mythical American form of expression. He’s found a vocabulary to talk about what’s on his mind and in his heart.”
It might be hard to see direct comparisons between yourself and other artists to be anything other than demoralising when you’ve tried so hard to stand out, but when you’re being namechecked by one of the greatest songwriters of all time alongside two others from the same category, then surely Springsteen must have been doing something right.
